Friday, December 26, 2008

Okay, now that Christmas is over, I'm starting to think about the Fossil bag I'm going to get. I was going to go to our local Macy's, but when I went online I found a bunch to choose from, so I might just order one.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

No doubt about it. I love Fossil bags. I've been eyeing a few different options at Macy's over the past year or so. I'm drawn to these cross-body styles, mostly because the remind me of messenger bags and my old University days, and also because crossing the strap diagonally over your shoulder is better for your back.

The Fossil Sutter Crossbody Flap

So, this color is rich, and it's another crossbody style:

The Castille Crossbody, which comes in six colors. My faves--red, espresso, black. The Forest, Eggplant and Saddle are nice, too.

Of course, if I could swing it, this one looks great, too...

This one is the Fifty Four Casey Domed Satchel

The Everyday Crossbody looks great, too... (see below) Lots of pockets. Pockets can be a good thing, or they can drive a person nuts. My aunt doesn't like too many pockets--she gets lost in her bag with too many pockets. But others find it nice to be better organised, and to be able to keep certain things separate.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Just when I thought I was going to bed, here comes another great bag. I couldn't resist just this one more...

Photographer's note:

Bambas Leather Satchel, 2008

I always try to find something for my friend Louise when we travel, but shopping in Prague isn't easy if you aren't the art glass, garnet jewelry or tourist trinket type.

While most of the main shopping areas are experiencing an influx of major global designer brands (though Gucci is Gucci, no matter where you go), I did stumble across a fur and leather shop called Kožešiny Kubín that carries goods produced in the Czech Republic.

I literally stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the handbags they had displayed in one of their shop windows. My first thought was, "Hey, these are like those super-hyped, waiting-list-only Prada Faerie Bags that came out this spring!" My second thought was, "I have to get one of these for Louise!"

The shop was all warm, rich woods and glass, with a hushed atmosphere akin to a library. The sales woman there that day didn't speak much English, but it's easy enough to get your point across when you point out a handbag and hold up your credit card.

The handbag company is Bambas, and all their bags are designed and manufactured in the Czech Republic -- hand painted and hand sewn (or so says the tag). The sales woman assured me, in her limited English, that each bag is a one of a kind -- there may be similar items, but the hand painting process allows for individual variances on the theme.

It was difficult to choose which one to get, as there were any number of styles, sizes and themes, but I think the bag we settled on was definitely the most striking.

I sent it off to Louise immediately after returning home from our trip, and I received a hilariously enthusiastic barrage of text messages once the package hit her doorstep. Apparently, presenting the gift of a one of a kind bag from Prague is a sure fire way to cement a friendship for life.

The fact that none of her friends can simply run off to Nordstrom's and buy the same thing was just icing on her Fashion Plate cake.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

A hard sided handbag made with felt. Totally handsewn, not a machine in site! Didn't think it would stand up to my usual wear and tear on my handbags, but thought it could be good to store embellishments or embroidery threads.

This one is the prototype, just a few adjustments to make and I am on my way to make more! Oh yeah, I have to give credit for the design to a stationery set of my daughters, it gave me the idea to recreate it in felt.

She says: "The poems we've had in so far have been great. The handbag is obviously heavy with meaning. One woman called her bag ‘my comfort blanket', to another it was ‘my soulmate' and yet another wrote, ‘Without you on my shoulder, / I could not carry the burden on my own.' Whether it's chic or shabby, the humble handbag seems to say a lot about being a woman"

Natasha Aitken, editor of handbag.com, says: "National Handbag Month is all about celebrating the wonderful (and sometimes weird...) relationship women have with their bags. At handbag.com we take inspiration from that relationship, trying to cram as many goodies into the site as we do into our handbags. But even we were surprised by quite how much passion there is out there...!"

The competition forms part of handbag.com's "National Handbag Month" activity in May. Today the results of a nationwide survey were released, which provides further proof of the depth of feeling women have for their bags

When asked what they would save in a fire, a whopping majority of 63% would grab their bags in preference to a photo album (32%), a scarf knitted by grandma (2%) - and even a box of old love letters (3%). The only places where sentiment wins over style are the Channel Islands, Borders and North Scotland - in each case a majority (67%) would rescue the photos.

Love of the handbag even overtakes the maternal instinct - an incredible 85% would prefer it if their child's schoolbag was stolen, rather than their own handbag. Again the exception is found in Borders and North Scotland, where votes were equally divided.

Ethics also go out the window when it comes to the perfect bag. When asked if they would consider buying a fake, only 25% said no because they would worry it had been made in a sweatshop. As many as 53% of women say: "Snap it up as fast as possible!"

Women know how much bags mean to other women. We asked which of the following would be the naughtiest: reading a postcard addressed to your boyfriend, going through your sister's wardrobe when she's out,rooting around in a friend's handbag without asking, or reading an email over a colleague's shoulder. Guess what? 61% said the worst sin was rifling through a friend's bag. Reading a colleague's email came second - with just 22%.

One reason you might not want to go through a friend's bag is the horrible things you risk finding in there. When we asked for the yuckiest thing women have ever kept in their bags a stunning 16% of 16-17 year olds across the country and 18% of women in the Northeast admit to havingyesterday's knickers lurking in their bags. Other confessions include: a fish canapé, a piece of stilton cheese, a child's nappy, a stick of chicken satay and doggie treats...

Although women are spending more than ever on bags, it's only in the South West (57%) and West (60%) where the majority think looking good is a matter of money. For the rest of the country, 59% believe that you can't buy style.

When it comes to keeping these prized possessions safe, HTV West and the South/South East are the best bet. Only 8% in South/South East have ever had a bag stolen, and in HTV that falls even lower - none of our sample had ever had a bag taken. In Yorkshire by contrast, 33% said yes, by far the highest in the country. Wherever they are though, women don't feel enough effort is made to keep bags safe. 88% said more security measures such as cloakrooms, handbag clips and CCTV were urgently needed. And if they are mugged, nearly half will fight off their attacker, while 65% of women who have had a bag taken agree that "It felt like someone had stolen a part of me".

Handbag.com is crammed full of everything you could ever want, taking it's inspiration from the role a real handbag plays in a woman's life. In celebration of the joy of bags, handbag.com have declared May to be National Handbag month. The month includes a host of discounts and offers on the site, including the chance to win a designer handbag every day in May. There is also a poem, "Handbags", written by award-winning poet Kate Bingham, and the chance for users to enter their own poems into a competition to be published in handbag.com's Little Pink Book diary. To join in go to: http://www.handbag.com/handbagmonth/poemcompetition/entry/

About Handbag.com

Handbag.com was the first dedicated women's lifestyle website to launch in the UK, and is now the market leader.

Handbag is a stylish, glamorous, trusted and informative editorial environment that provides the inside track for busy women online, on everyday important issues like relationships, health, careers and beauty. With the luxury look of a glossy and the lightening reactions of a daily, Handbag.com offers a breadth of coverage from expert writers that has established its reputation as the leader in a crowded field.

Launched in 1999, it now includes the subsidiary sites getlippy.com, aimed at 18- to 30-year-old women, allaboutyou.com for women aged over 35 and gomamatoday.com, a pregnancy and birth site.

The Handbag network was acquired by the National Magazine Co. in October 2006.

About The National Magazine Company

The National Magazine Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation established by William Randolph Hearst in 1910. NatMag publishes 15 consumer titles in the UK: Coast, Company, CosmoGIRL!,Cosmopolitan, Cosmopolitan Bride, Country Living, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, House Beautiful, Prima, Prima Baby,SHE, You & Your Wedding, and Zest. The group publishes a further two magazines, Men's Health and Runner's World, through a joint venture known as NatMag Rodale and three large scale weeklies, Best , Revealand RealPeople through a joint venture known as ACP-NatMag.

About The Hearst Digital Network

The Hearst Digital Network, a division of NatMag, publishes the websites for NatMag magazines, including the Handbag network.

This gorgeous wine red leather handbag is small and sexy. Whether you're going to the store or a night out on the town this bag is extremely versatile. It has a magnetic closure and handle drop of 3 1/2". Its interior is black with the red leather trim.

All proceeds help us continue the fight against HIV/AIDS and homelessness

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Gucci Designer Handbags and Accessories - Gucci designs originated in Florence, Italy in 1921 by an Italian man named Guccio Gucci. When he opened his small, family owned leather and saddle goods store, he had no idea that the Gucci handbag would grow to become one of the most sought after handbags in the world.

This is simply fabulous~ Note what the photographer had to say--I love it!

Red Handbag Cake

I made this quilted red leather handbag for my sister-in-law's birthday. My Father-in-law actually mistook it for a real handbag and grabbed the handle to lift it. LOL!! The strap had to be re-attached but I took it as a great compliment. Happy Birthday, Carol! 1-27-08

These bags are great, too. Durable, made from real seat belt material.

Here's a blurb from the Harvey site, just for jazz:

"Each Seatbelt Bag is lined with genuine flight satin, used by the US Airforce to make flight jackets and sewn with NASA certified thread (yes, that NASA). Bags feature either a magnetic snap closure or a YKK zipper and many bags feature chrome feet imported from Italy. Made of the same seat belt you use to protect your life."

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The Perfect Purse

Welcome to And the Bag to Match. I created this site to allow you to peruse at leisure a selection of bags, handbags, and purses of all styles and sizes.

I love bags as much as I like shoes, and am always searching for the "perfect" one. Not too big, not too small; big enough to carry a journal, iPod, phone, checkbook, wallet, energy bars; small enough just to fit the car keys, the credit card, and some cash for going out on the town. Big enough for convenience. Small enough so that I don't feel encumbered.

So, whether you're looking for a bag for that play that just opened on Broadway, something light and safe on your travels, or just need something to carry your art supplies in, my hope is that you will find ideas and inspiration while you're here.

And if you see something you like that you think I should know about, don't hesitate to drop me a line. Happy browsing!

About Me

Ronda is the author of Shedding Our Skins, (2008), and Some Other Eden,
(2005). Nominated seven times for the Pushcart, recipient of a 2007
Artist Trust GAP Grant, finalist for the May Swenson Poetry Book Award,
Ronda is currently Poetry Editor for the literary journal, Crab Creek
Review.